Sunday, July 29, 2012

One More Week!

Ferry Ride to Toronto Island

Oh what a summer it has been! And trust me, I know we're only halfway into it, but working 2 jobs and summer school feels like the life is being sucked right out of me! But...ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL PORTUGAL!!! Oh man, I cannot wait to be on a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean with my best friend and a good book! That, to me, is paradise :)

Well, I do have to say that even with all my school, work, moving and packing stress, I have still managed to have a lot of fun this summer: seeing all my closest friends, going on a couple trips to Boston and New York, and just keeping it simple like walking along the train tracks at sunset with my little doggy, Nobu. Even just being able to ride around on my bike and be warm in the evenings is a treat.

Toronto is a great city and as much as I love to travel and get away...which is pretty often...I still think Toronto is one of the greatest cities, full of so many hidden gems that there's always something new and exciting to surprise you with. Just a few weeks ago, after having a magical day at the nudie beach with my friends, I walked right into this beautiful little park in the heart of the financial district. There was a man-made waterfall, flowers everywhere and a little greenhouse. I really appreciate these things!

Anyway, it's time to get to work on my final paper for my summer class, which is due Thursday. Ughh... But after that it's just Toronto fun until I head to the Azores! Weeeee!!! :D

@LoveKaruna (Twitter)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Hunter Valentine

This is a heads up, a shout out and a tribute to my girl Kiyomi and her awesome rock band Hunter Valentine!

I've known Kiyomi since I was in the 8th grade. We went to different middle schools, but when we met through a group of mutual friends one day we were pretty much bonded by our shared mixed, Japanese-Canadian heritage. We even found out that our grandparents went to the same Japanese church and we would both go to the annual church bazaar and eat sushi and the Japanese-Canadian version of chow mein. Over the first couple of years we shared a lot and grew closer over the standard (and not so standard) teen drama of our time. We even created a special book that each of us would take turns writing secrets, drawing and gluing pictures in before passing it off to the other one to read and do the same. It was hilarious reading it so many years later, but I realized that we were actually going through a lot of bullshit for our age and I guess that brought us closer.

Anyway, eventually Kiyomi and I grew apart, just due to lifestyle changes and all that stuff that happens when you get older, but over the years I've been watching her from a distance as she has pursued her dreams and become more and more successful as a musician. She is truly inspiring and still one of the coolest people I know! Just a couple of weeks ago I found out that she is now on the reality show The Real L Word and I think it's so awesome because, not only do you get to see my amazingly hot friend chilling with a bunch of other hot lesbians, you get to see some behind the scenes footage of her band life too. You can see the show on Showtime, Thursdays at 10 pm if you're interested. I'm just really proud of my friend and so today I decided to blog about her :)

Here's one of Hunter Valentine's music videos - The Stalker:


@LoveKaruna (Twitter)

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Boston Trip

Some photos from my recent trip to Boston to meet more of my dad's side of the family. Reconnecting with family is great!


My Cousin Patti

Patti's Kids: Emerson (6), Emily (10), Ethan (7), Eli (2)
 
Me at Harvard University

Emily's Swim Meet

My Uncle Jim (my dad's brother) and The Boys

My Auntie Pat

Daisy and The Boys

@LoveKaruna (Twitter)

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Love Is Letting Go Of Fear

I am sharing this message from a book called Love Is Letting Go Of Fear, because it is powerful. Please take a few moments to meditate on the words of the author, Gerald G. Jampolsky. And remember to breathe deeply, whenever you can remember to...
"What is Real?

Most of us are confused about what is real. Even though we sense there is something more, we attempt to settle for a reality based exclusively on feedback from our physical senses. To reinforce this "reality", we look to what our culture defines as normal, healthy and therefore real.

Yet where does Love fit into this scheme of things? Wouldn't our lives be more meaningful if we looked to what has no beginning and no ending as our reality? Only Love fits this definition of the eternal. Everything else is transitory and therefore meaningless.

Fear always distorts our perception and confuses us as to what is going on. Love is the total absence of fear. Love ask no questions. Its natural state is one of extension and expansion, not comparison and measurement. Love, then, is really everything that is of value, and fear can offer us nothing because it is nothing.

Although Love is always what we really want, we are often afraid of Love without consciously knowing it, and so we may act both blind and deaf to Love's presence. Yet, as we help ourselves and each other let go of fear, we begin to experience a personal transformation.

We start to see beyond our old reality as defined by the physical senses, and we enter a state of clarity in which we discover that all minds are joined, that we share a common Self, and that inner peace and Love are in fact all that are real.

With Love as our only reality, health and wholeness can be viewed as inner peace, and healing can be seen as letting go of fear.

Love, then, is letting go of fear."

Here is a song by Olivia Newton-John - Love is letting go of fear:

 

@LoveKaruna (Twitter)

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Coconut Rum Breeze

Coconut Rum Breeze

Beat the heat with a refreshing drink that I just created!

I looked over into the kitchen and saw that we had a bit of coconut rum left over so I decided to get a little creative and came up with this awesome drink. It's very simple and totally refreshing for a hot day like today.

Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Breeze almond milk (or milk of your choice)
1 frozen banana
1 shot of coconut rum
1 splash of vanilla
1 shake of cinnamon

Blend it all up with a couple ice cubes and you're good to go! I call it a Coconut Rum Breeze :)

Happy Canada Day! Happy Pride! Congratulations Spain!

@LoveKaruna (Twitter)